Corn-separator.



PATENTED ocT. 22. 1907.

I W. A. WERCKLE.

CORN SEPARATOR.

APPLIOATION F-ILED MAR. 27, 1905.

machine.

WILLIAM A. WEROKLE, OF PEORIA, ILLINOIS.

CORN-SEPARATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed March 27,1905. Serial No. 252,222.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. WERCKLE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Peoria, in the county of Peoria and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Separators; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation more particularly to machines for separatingcorn into different grades, according to its shape and size, by passingit through a series of riddles.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effective meanswhereby corn can be so separated as to give a grade of corn of a commonsize and shape suitable for planter use.

Modern corn-planters are so constructed that for satisfactory operationthey require that the grains of corn used therein be of a uniform sizeand of the fiat variety found on the middle portion of the cob, and ithas also been demonstrated that sorted corn of this character makes abetter yield.

My invention provides for sorting or separating corn so that a grade ofthis nature can be obtained, as will be further seen in the followingspecification, by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure 1 is a view from the side of my machine, the portion at the leftof line aa being a section through the center. Fig. 2 is an end view ofmy machine, that portion of the supporting frame at the left of line bbof Fig. 1 being cut away. Fig. 3 is a detail view of my method ofjoining the riddles together. Fig. 4 is a detail View of the doublecrank and the pitman which vibrates the riddle frame- Figs. 5 and 6 areportions of the two kinds of riddles used.

All the riddles and accessory parts thereto are joined together, formingwhat I call the riddle frame" which is loosely supported by therectangular frame 1 in such a manner as to be capable of longitudinalvibratory movement. The first riddle 2 of this riddle frame, upon whichthe corn first falls and by which it is first screened, is inclined asshown so that the corn, on account of the slant, will readily slidetoward the bottom of the riddle which terminates in the inclined gutteror spout 3, which deposits its contents at the side of the This riddleis constructed of sheet metal and has perforations 4 approximately onequarter of an inch wide by three quarters of an inch long, extendingcrosswise of the said riddle and arranged as shown in Fig. 5. The riddle5 is directly underneath and parallel to the riddle 2 and terminates inthe end spout 6 which is formed by converging the sides thereof. Thisriddle is made of sheet metal and has round perforations 7 as shownin'Fig. 6, which are approximately three eighths of an inch in diameter.Directly underneath this riddle 5 and parallel therewith is the plain,unperforated surface 8 which extends to within a short distance of theend of the riddle frame so as to collect the corn which drops throughriddle 5 and convey it to the upper part of the next riddle 9 which isinclined in the opposite direction. The lower edge of this conveyer S issupported by means of a raised bridge 10 supported by the riddle 9 andextending from side to side thereof. The next riddle 9 is similar toriddle 5, the perforations therein being about five-sixteenths of aninch in diameter, or somewhat smaller than those in riddle 5. Directlyunderneath the riddle 9 is the bottom 11 of the riddle frame, which isformed in the shape of a fiattened hopper and converges to the opening12, so that all the corn which drops through the riddle 9 will becollected by the bottom 11 and discharged through the opening 12.Instead of inclosing these riddles and accessory parts in a box as isdone in many machines of this character, I surround all the parts uponwhich the corn drops and slides with the edges 13 so as to prevent thecorn from spilling off the sides, and hold the said parts of the riddleframe together by means of rods 14 with sections of tubing 15telescoping the said rods between the various parts to properly spacethem, and secure these parts on the rods by the thumb nuts 16 which havea thread ed connection with the upper ends of the said rods. With thisconstruction the riddle frame can easily be taken apart and the operatorhas access to all the parts during operation.

Extending laterally across under each end of the riddle frame are thestrips 17, which are securely fastened to the said riddle frame by thebelts or rods 14. The ends of these strips extend a short distancebeyond the riddle frame at each side and have the eyes 18 on the uppersurface to which the lower ends of the hangers 19 are fastened. Theupper ends of the hangers 19 are secured to the loops of the bolts 20,which said bolts pass through the frame 1 and are secured thereto bymeans of the thumb nuts 21.

Removably supported on the frame 1 above the upper end of the riddle 2is the hopper 22 which is provided with the slide 23 for regulating andshutting off the supply of corn.

For the purpose of vibrating the riddle frame longitudinally on itshangers, I provide the crank shaft 24 with a double crank 25, which saidshaft is journaled to some portion of the supporting frame 1 at one endso as to be capable of revolution, and a pinion 26 on one end of thecrank shaft engaged by the gear wheel 27 provides for rapid revolutionof the crank shaft and the connecting rod 28 secured to the double crank25 and to a portion of the riddle frame as at 29 provides forlongitudinal "vibration of the riddle frame at every revolution of thecrank shaft 24.

From the foregoing description, the operation of my machine will be seento be as follows: Corn of irregular sizes and shapes falling from thehopper 22 ialls onto the upper end oi riddle 2, the large round grainsrolling and the [lat grains sliding downward. The flat grains, when theystrike a slot, tip up on edge and under the influence of the vibrationol the riddle, drop through, as will also the small grains, while thelarge round grains roll on down over the slots and into the inclinedgutter 3 and from thence pass out at the side ot the machine. The cornthat has passed through the riddle 2 falls on the riddle 5, which hasround perforations, through which the largest oi the flat grains cannotpass so these large flat grains pass out through the spout (i. The cornthat drops through the perforations in 5, which consists of the mediumflat and all the small round grains lalls onto the conveyor 8 and iscarried to the upper part oi riddle 9 down which it slides. This riddlehaving smaller pertorations than riddle 5 takes out all the very smallflat grains and the small round grains which drop through and onto thebottom 11; and pass out through the opening l2. The remainder on theriddle 9, which are the medium flat grains are discharged irom the spoutthereof. This as can be seen, takes out by means ol' riddle 2 all thelarge round grains and by means 01' the riddle 9 all the small flat andround grains, and gives two grades of corn suitable tor planter use; onegrade, the deposit l'rom the spout (3, ol large flat grains, and theother grade, the deposit from the spout of riddle 9, oi medium [latgrains.

T11 is machine as can be seen is simple, easily operated, and veryeffective, and much more rapid than any method at present known to theinventor.

I am aware that numerous separating machines have been constructed forscreening various seeds and grains. composed of elements similar tothose which I employ, but I am not aware of a corn separator in whichriddles are employed and I am not aware oi a separutor in which theriddles are put together in a skeleton t'rame Having thus fullydescribed my invention, what l claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent ol' the United States, is:

The combination, in a corn separator, 01' an inclined, transverselyslotted riddle terminating in :1 side dis charging gutter, a secondriddle, with round perforations, directly underneath and parallel withthe said slotted rid die and terminating in a spout. a conveyor surt'acodirectly underneath and parallel with the said second riddle andextending to within a short distance of the upper end of the thirdriddle, upon which it deposits, the said third riddle inclined in theopposite direction to the second rid dle, terminating in a spout andhaving smallor portorations than the said second riddle, a bridge on thethird rid dle to support the discharge end of the at'orcsaid coir veyer,a flattened hopper shaped bottom rlirectl underneath the said thirdriddle, rods connecting the said riddles, conveyer, and bottom, sectionsoi tubing on tlnrods between the said riddles. conveys, and bottom.telescoping" the said rods, hangers depending from a supportingframe andsecured to the lower portion ot the complete riddle frame, a hopperdepositing on the upper end oi the tirst riddle, and a l'evolublo doublecrank connected with the riddle frame, substantially as and for thepurposes specified In testimony' whereof I have atlixod Ill) signature.in presence 01' two witnesses.

Witnesses:

E. M. Girlns, MARY ll. COMIQGYS,

